The Green Dilemma: Libertarian Values Trump Communal Values

We report the results of a large scale survey (N=4,082) of adult American consumers which segments the market on the basis of consumers’ attitudes toward the environment and how these different consumer segments engage (or, more often, don’t engage) in pro-environmental consumer behaviors. The paper’s primary contribution is in identifying different segments of consumers based on their attitudes and beliefs regarding the environment, and linking these segments to green behaviors. The presentation concludes with a discussion of diverse theoretical approaches which recognizes that for each of these segments there is a need for new understandings into how to further cultivate and increase green behaviors.